Saturday, December 17, 2011

So much, so fast and I know I have to keep up with it to make it all happen. Thank goodness for my Board of Directors because they watch me carefully and they have taken alot off my shoulders to help me get through the days. I am blessed, truly blessed to have these people in my life
.
But, the children....yes, our focus is to help the children in Uganda.
We have an amazing group of people sponsoring the ones we know we are taking into our home and a waiting list for the ones to be chosen this next February. I think I would like to make this about them....the kids they sponsor and the kids around the world who want to make a difference to help them. I have always said one thing throughout this entire journey....Kids helping Kids. That is what has happened and we need to make it really an important factor to show how amazing our kids are. Not only Canada...but in places like England too. For example, we have a wonderful girl named Olivia, age 10, who has given her own money to put towards the generator that they are fundraising for over there. They will accomplish their goal before Christmas. Olivia and her Mom Simone, have also sponsored little Joseph.
Wow, the world has joined our dream. Sponsors in London, the United States, Poland and Europe.

It is Christmas and the world celebrates the birth of Jesus...Here are some of the things that have happened for the kids we know we are taking into our home and we would like to share them with you.

This is Hope and Desire. They have been sponsored by two wonderful women who have given them a life they never knew possible. These dresses are something that they only dreamed of and never believed their dream would come true. Edwin took them shopping for 5 hours and finally they found the most beautiful ones. Thanks Edwin for your patience but I know that you knew how important this was for them... Their sponsors have sent them to private school and they are learning so much there. Thanks Patti and Becky...the kids love you.

This is Sammi...and Sammi is a brother to Hope and Desire. He is in school thanks to Becky and Patti but he is also at home taking care of his two paraplegic Grandma's of which one is blind. The workload on this little boy is something you and I cannot understand. Sammi, Hope and Desire will be with us when we open.
Edwin watches over him very closely and helps him alot with his Grandmas.

This is our Alex.. Remember his brother Nathan who recently passed away? His Mom, Mutesi who suffers from HIV also is still holding on for our arrival in February. When she does leave us , this little boy will be with us too. He has Amanda and her family watching over him from Abbotsford. Thanks Amanda and family for giving him his very first Christmas outfit. He was so very happy.

And here is our baby Alan with Edwin. Alan even got a new Christmas outfit. Just to let you know...Grandma gave us this child to raise because she has 12 other grandchildren to take care of. We made sure she had some money to make a business and she is going to be paying back that money within a year and show she can create an income on her own. She grows tomatoes and all 12 kids help her. We will update you on the success of her new little business and how she can support the kids more easily.

And there is our Joseph...little quiet Joseph who has been so helpless. A little boy who hid in a hut until
Edwin noticed him and he was very malnourished. He suffers from HIV, has no parents and will be coming with us when we open. Thank you Simone and Olivia in England for loving this little one. He will come out of his shell once we start working with him. Edwin took him Christmas shopping and said that when he saw this suit, his eyes lit up. He was so happy and so happy that someone finally really loved him...Thanks

I have to say there are other kids that received gifts also. They chose to use the money to go to school instead of clothes, so thanks to all those sponsors who let them make that decision for themselves.

This is Hope and Grace...In our country Grace is a girl, but there, it is a boy. Grace cried for 2 days when he saw me the first time because he had never seen a white person...scared to death, but after a week he was my best friend. They suffer from lack of food as many do but there happened to be someone who noticed and came to the rescue.......KIDS HELPING KIDS.....

Meet Rhys, age 7 and Sebastian, age 9
These two boys came to my house with a cheque, their first bank account and their first cheque written and they wanted to give money to Hope and Grace for food. I am to take it back with me when I go in February and buy them the necessary things they need. Wow..this is what it is all about ..Kids helping Kids and straight from the hearts of little ones. Thanks you guys....I will for sure do this for you and send you pictures.

And more kids.... OK, not exactly kids It's only cause I am a Grandma and I can say that.....But almost adults.....Chilliwack Secondary African Relief Club and the most awesome group ever.
On December 2nd at Chilliwack's Secondary School, these kids had a fundraiser for Jaaja Barb's Home of Angels selling the banana bread. They raised $300.00 towards helping the building of our project and we all commend their efforts. A big thanks to Mr. Anderson and all the students who participated. Thanks almost adults...lol....you are the best

I also want to say that prior to this we had many kids in Canada helping the little ones in Uganda. Thanks to Silas and Oliva who delivered their piggy banks in baggies to my front door and who made photo albums for Nathan (since passed) and Alex. Jamie and Olivia who made hundreds of bracelets which we distributed over there last year, W.J. Mouat Secondary School who raised money for banana bread, Katie, Kaitlin and their team in Maple Ridge who worked so hard raising $2000 with the help of the Big Feast Bistro for bunk beds, the grade 11 students at Heritage Woods Secondary School in Port Moody, to Andrea and Laura for their silent auction in Langley, to Jody and her students in Mission who donated $500.00. To Chris and Catie for wanting to get involved in Brackendale to raise money for us, and then today...Rhys and Sebastian who took $20.00 each out of there own money to feed Hope and Grace.
How much better does it get than that....Wow.....Kids Helping Kids

Joanne and Tim Codling...how can we ever thank you both. This gift was something that bought tears
to us. A quilt of an "Angel" holding a teddy bear.. We have a special place as you enter the kid's home
that we are going to hang this... Thanks to the both of you for your HUGE hearts. We love you.

I would like to show you the Global TV news that was done by Linda Aylesworth last week.
Many of you didn't get the chance to see it the other day so I am posting it for you.

Together with myself and Board of Directors, we all wish you a very Merry Christmas.
Thank you for following our journey throughout this past year and I hope you will continue to do so in 2012. We are estimating the completion of Jaaja Barb's Home of Angels in August or September 2012. In the meantime, our grass hut is under construction, along with the completion of the main house. We have been very blessed with our team....that is YOU and we thank all of you for your support and love.

Monday, December 5, 2011

We would like to give you an update on our project as we go into the Christmas season.
We have been so blessed with people who have given their hearts in building this home for our "Angels". Children who never imagined in their wildest dreams they would live in one. Their home is finished, including beds and mattresses along with the latrine just outside their door. The main house is almost done, excluding the floors and plumbing fixtures. The water is now in, complete with submersive pump and stabilizer and is pumping 5000 liters/hour of beautiful clear water. We really believed we could open in February 2012, but we have decided that we are going to wait for just a while longer. There are too many things we need to do and we want to do as much as we can to get finished first and then bring the kids in and start with a structured routine to raise them.

We have been asked by many, especially now at Christmas time, what they can do to help us finish, so I am going to post a list of items needed for completion. If you would like to help take on one of these projects as a family or an individual, please let us know. We would be very grateful

Generator: the pump for the water is run by electricity and the power in Jinja is on approximately 3-4 days out of 7. The cost for the generator will be $800.00.Grass Hut: this hut will be used as a community house for the kids to eat in, for meetings and gatherings. It will cost approximately $3,500.00.Flooring: to cover 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 showers, 3 kitchens, 3 sitting rooms and 6 verandas. The floors will cost $3,800.00.Plumbing Fixtures: toilets, showers, sinks, including kitchen and bathroom. $1,500.00Oven and Refrigerator: $1,000.00

8' Concrete Wall: BC Holstein News has taken it upon themselves to write a story in their newspaper with the goal of providing safety at the compound by building this wall. They have encouraged the dairy community to join together with them in purchasing enough bricks to complete the wall. You can read their story on page 56 at www.holsteinnews.com. The total cost of this wall will be $12,000.00

We will keep everyone updated on their progress.

Thank you Karen, Gary and your team

The plaster is completed in two of the three apartments. The verandas are also done on the both sides of each unit. The road that leads into the project is growing so fast with all the rain and the palm trees are getting big.

The plants in the rock gardens are also starting to grow...

This is a story I must tell you about. The submersive pump was put in and they had to do a 6 hour test on it. Instead of letting the water go to waste, Edwin brought all the people from the area in to fill their jerry cans. As you can see, it is mostly the children who fetch water.

Edwin helping the little ones fill their jerry cans.

Look at the faces...concentration if I ever saw it

Yes...bulls-eye

Do you remember baby Alan? This is the youngest child we have coming to live in our Home of Angels.
Edwin went to the village to check on him and found this precious child with his Jaaja who has been raising him since him mommy died giving birth to him. Edwin bought him milk and cookies along with sugar and food for Jaaja to help her with the 12 other grandchildren she is raising. All her children have died, leaving her the only one to care for all of them. Jaaja cried tears as she told Edwin how grateful she is for us taking her grandson and raising him. She never thought God or anyone cared but boy was she wrong. We all care.

When a child in North America wants a doll, they go the the store and buy a soft doll....easy
In most places in Africa, if a child wants a doll, they climb a banana tree, cut down a stem, open it up and create their own doll. No, it's not as soft, you cannot cuddle it but they have a doll that goes everywhere with them.

This is another handmade doll

Thanks once again to all of you for travelling this journey with us. You give me the inspiration to keep baking the banana bread, to go out and do my speaking at schools and just make the people around me realize how much we are blessed living here. Such a simple thing as a banana bread can change a life.

Then we have many of you who have joined forces with us and help financially with your donations. You have made a huge difference and what you see growing in front of your eyes here, is mainly thanks to all of you. You created a beautiful compound with your hearts to make a difference in this world.

Thanks to the people who are offering to sponsor the kids, provide food for their families and all the volunteers from all over North America that help us in more ways than I can explain here. You are so important to us and please remember, you are ALL welcome to come when we finish and see what you took part in.

We all can make a difference in other peoples lives....it just takes the first step